Looking at the past 8 or so years of my existence I thought about things I’ve done and things I haven’t done and I came to the conclusion that I am quite happy with my where my life is at the moment. Are there some things I regret doing? Yes of course there are, but there are also things I regret not doing. If I had the chance to go back and do thing over, would I do things differently? Probably not.
(+)Skydiving was probably one of the things that really affected my life. It taught me patience (waiting for the correct weather conditions), allowed me to connect with a group of people that I still associate with on a daily basis (via email and phone...its too effing cold to go jumping now unless your in z-hills or CA somewhere) and it taught me that I can overcome my fears. Jumping out of a plane the first time scared the living shit out of me, that combined with the fact that I never bothered to do a tandem jump first (like many places require you to do) made me realize that new things can be pleasurable.
(-)Relationships. I was recently talking with a friend and found out that for the longest time we both had crushes on each other. Now on separate sides of the US a relationship isn't possible, but we both agreed that if the other asked while we were still geographically close to each other then our current others would have been dumped...Who knows what would have happened here. I also sacrificed some relationships for the sake of academics, which at the time I felt to be more important. I regret this to a major degree now looking back on it.
(+)Syracuse. Definitely no regrets about this one. I have met so many amazing people over the past 4 1/2+ years. Friends, enemies, random strangers. It all comes together to make for a wonderful environment.
(-)Politics.
(+)Psuedo-intellectual discussions. Be they over lunch, dinner, at 3am in the hallway or any other time. I don't think that there is a single student in the process of an advanced degree that wouldn't agree that these are something to look forward to. Topics have ranged from the reasons behind fluctuating currency exchange rates to the effect of technology on productivity. These discussions are usually accompanied by alcohol (wine or any other drinkable substance).
(-)Consequences. Its college, there are ways to get away with almost anything. I regret not being more vocal and standing up for the injustices that I had the ability to change or prevent. In taking the easy way out of certain situations I withheld the opportunity for personal growth that could come from defending me opinion to others. late resolution, for now on till the time when my masters is awarded I will be a vocal critic of anything I feel in unfair and unjust no matter what the consequences are
(+)Travel. Lucky is the only word to describe this. I have spent extensive amounts of time in Europe (Specifically France, Austria and Switzerland and smaller amounts of time in other places). I have been to most of the major islands in the Caribbean (and a large portion of the smaller ones as well). I have been to so many countries and islands that I usually forget about 1/3 or more when rattling them off. Right now if I'm on my third passport (its got about 2 years left before it expires though).
(-)Jobs. I had the opportunity to be hired full time after two years of doing a summer internship during high school. Despite not having a diploma or degree at the time the company was offering 30 an hour. I decided rather than to stay with they I would go off to college and see 'the greener pastures of academia.' I always wonder what would be happening to me now if I had stayed with them. Now the lack of jobs for people in my chosen field is a little bit of a downer. When someone says Computer Science the listener automatically thinks of IST, and the two are completely different. Jobs for Comp.Sci majors abound but most of them require 3-5 years of experience before you can apply to them, even while in the midst of a Masters they still won't hire you for a seasonal position.
Do you have memories that stick out for the good or the bad? Think about them.
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grrr. Two papers, a project and 200 pages of reading. I thought I was supposed to have slightly less work at this point.
Posted by henry at January 20, 2004 05:14 PM